


Superstitions

by Katalyna_Rose



Series: Kahlia Mahariel [4]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Dalish Elven Culture and Customs, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-03
Updated: 2017-01-03
Packaged: 2018-09-14 11:22:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9179335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katalyna_Rose/pseuds/Katalyna_Rose
Summary: It is not wise to offend Mythal, and so Kahlia takes a sort side trip to pay homage at a long abandoned altar in the woods.





	

“Hold on,” Kahlia said, veering off the road. She didn’t wait to see if anyone obeyed, just followed the trail marker she’d spotted. After a moment, she heard the snapping of twigs behind her that meant the others were following.

She wound into the trees, following the carefully hidden trail, until she reached a small clearing. There she saw what she’d been looking for. The altar to Mythal was ancient and overgrown, but still intact. She spent a moment clearing away the vines and moss that had covered the stone, and carefully unwound the ivy from the statue behind it. Then she knelt before the altar and said a quick prayer. When she stood, everyone was staring at her. She blushed.

“What?” she asked, tucking a stray curl behind her ear.

“What is this place?” Leliana asked, staring at the statue of the winged woman.

“It’s an altar to Mythal,” Kahlia told them. “It’s unwise to ignore them, so I always make sure to pay homage to the goddess of justice.”

“But the Dalish say the gods are gone, do they not?” Zevran asked curiously. Kahlia shrugged again.

“Whether she can or cannot receive my prayers isn’t the point,” she said. “The point is that I respect her and what she stands for. I also pray at shrines to Ghilan'nain, since I wear her Vallaslin. That makes her sort of my patron.”

The others just kept staring at the altar she’d found. “How did you know it was here?” Wynne finally asked.

“They’re marked for those who would pay their respects,” Kahlia replied. “I followed the trail.”

“I’ve spent my whole life in a forest,” Morrigan said, “and I saw no trail.”

“You’re not Dalish,” Kahlia reminded her. “The Chasind mark their trails differently from the Dalish.”

“They usually begin with an animal trail,” Morrigan said. “I didn’t even see that.”

“No Dalish have been in the area in a long time, or there might have been. Shall we keep moving?” Kahlia was impatient with their questions.

“I agree,” Sten said. “We have lingered too long.” Kahlia never thought she’d be grateful to the Qunari for his brusque, no-nonsense ways, but she was.

 


End file.
